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Into the rabid cutthroat world of the Gesneriad convention goes the strongest soldier of rare plant reconnaissance, Steve Hootman, curator of the Rhody garden and out comes a treasured jewelbox of all but unseen Gesner hybrids. Move over Mr. Cage there's a new heist-master, and I guess that makes us the black market dealer and you the faceless, nameless, glitterati of the botanical underworld. Imagine the gasp as the auctioneer brings forth this beauty, all red-bracted and silver-veined. Let the bidding begin

Exceedingly showy blue flowered selection of the Drumstick Primula. This gets big rounded flower heads as the name might imply. These get to be imposing foliage plants as well if given rich moist soil in light shade and are a presence even out of flower.

We found this as a raggedy half-dormant plant in the midst of snow on Jinfoshan in 2010. It has taken us a long time since to both offer it and to appreciate its full-green growing season appearance. Staying quite small, only about 8 inches, and with adorably rounded leaves this isn't going to wow anybody but is an absolutely perfect negative space or filler plant carrying on the solomon's seal tradition of playing nice with everything while not taking up quite so much vertical room as the more traditional offerings.

An Arizona collection of what seems to be the true plant of this rare-in-cultivation Southwestern Mock Orange which makes an excellent rock garden or low-water subject with its dense shrubby habit and extremely fragrant white flowers that smell like grape soda. The foliage holds its own as well with a mint-green softness provided by the minute pale hairs which coat each leaf that one could in this case call either peach fuzz or mock-orange fuzz, and which require no need of razoring. 

Long confused with Pyrrosia lingua or simply listed as Pyrrosia sp. there are a few collection of this species floating around the PNW, the key to distinguishing is the fluffy fuzzed rhizomes and the wide prominently veined fronds. It has proved quite vigorous here in pots growing quickly on long rhizomes and would make an excellent stumpery subject as I suspect it does the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. This particular collection hails from North Vietnam and while we haven't yet trialed it outside we expect it will prove hardy here.

A Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy Offering

More is more says Feather Boa, give into your sinful excesses! Species purists be damned we will flaunt our genetic freaks! Just like the fashion item for which it's named this Solomon's Seal cares not for demure two-leafed-ness, nor does it desire orderly whorls instead it produces a flurry of leaves splayed across the top of the stems that look like the rippling feathers of a fantastical bird. Very rare and very choice selection of this common species.